Meet The Krelborns
by Littleshopofaudrey
Summary: Since moving from Skid Row, Audrey and Seymour introduce themselves to their neighbors however, secrets are uncovered which put Audrey and Seymour's new life at risk.
1. Getting Ready

It was Friday evening. Audrey stood in a trance like state, frantically polishing the counter top with all the might that her thin arms could manage.

Seymour had finished getting dressed and strolled into the kitchen, shocked at the scene that was occurring in front of him. Ever since they moved from Skid Row, Audrey had developed somewhat of an infatuation with cleaning. She had fleetingly mentioned that she appreciated their little tract house so much and keeping it neat and clean was her way of showing her gratitude. "Audrey?" He asked, receiving no response.

Moving closer to her, he gently placed his hand on her upper arm in an attempt to make her stop, or at least slow down. "Audrey?" He asked again.

She hadn't heard him so her heart skipped a beat at the sudden contact which was enough to get her to stop cleaning. For a moment, at least. "Oh, Seymour! I'm sorry, I'm just so nervous!" She quickly resumed what she was doing, with slightly more enthusiasm.

"Don't worry, Audrey. Everything will be absolutely fine. Better than fine, great!" He tried to calm her while watching on in disbelief. He'd never seen her like this before.

"I just want everything to look perfect." Furrowing her brows, she kept imagining every worst possible outcome, all of the terrible things that could go wrong that evening.

Truth be told, he was just as nervous. He just concealed it a little better. "Audrey, I-I think the house is spotless. Especially that counter top…"

"Hmm? Oh!" She looked down at the gleaming surface, unaware of how long she'd been cleaning that one particular spot. "Of course. You're right." She pulled herself together for a fleeting second but quickly returned to her state of overthinking. "Do I look okay?" She asked as she self consciously smoothed down her dress. It was a perfect shade of white with a pattern of red rose petals and a matching red belt tied tightly around her slender waist.

Seymour walked over to her and placed a chaste kiss on her cheek. Since they had moved, Audrey had began to wear flat shoes a lot more often which Seymour was secretly grateful for, it made spontaneous kisses such as those a lot more seamless and romantic.

"Audrey, you look perfect. You always do." Seymour was able to put her mind at ease in a matter of seconds. She felt butterflies in her stomach and melted into his embrace. "Now, what time did Sylvia say they'd arrive?"

Sylvia Cotton lived just three houses down with her husband, Michael Cotton. The couple had moved in a mere three weeks before Audrey and Seymour had. Sylvia's husband travelled a lot for business so he was yet to meet the Krelborns, but Sylvia had been nothing but sweet to the pair. Audrey has always longed for some close female friends who she could share recipes with and gossip about husbands etc. It was just one of the parts of her green fantasy.

Audrey had invited the couple over to have coffee and get to know each other better. She would've offered them dinner but she wasn't Betty Crocker just yet and didn't want to disappoint them. Since they'd moved, this was the first time that Mr and Mes Krelborn had to make a real first impression other than "Good morning!" or "Beautiful day, isn't it?" The pressure was truly on.

"In around…" Audrey glanced at the clock with read 6:55pm, "Oh gosh, Seymour! Five minutes!" She started to panic again until Seymour held her hand.

He gave it a tentative squeeze. "We can do this…together."

Suddenly, they heard a knock at the door. Each of them took a deep breath and headed for the door, hand in hand.


	2. A Warm Welcome

Pacing in front of the door, Seymour and Audrey composed themselves. Audrey smoothed her dress down out of habit while Seymour straightened his slightly crooked glasses.

"We can do this." Seymour repeated.

Audrey opened the door and greeted the Cottons with an enormous grin. "Hi! Thank you so much for coming, it's great to see you again!"

"Audrey!" Sylvia returned the excitement. She entered the house, kissed Audrey on the cheek and gave Seymour a slight wave. "Hi, Seymour!" Seymour waved politely back, rigidly smiling in an attempt to hide his nervousness. "Oh, how silly of me! Audrey, Seymour, this is my husband, Michael! I forgot you haven't yet been introduced."

Michael was an undeniably handsome man, reminiscent of James Bond. He was dressed immaculately in a casual dark grey suit with a perfect smile and thick, greased hair. Standing at approximately 6ft tall, he loomed over everyone in the room but with a smile like that, he seemed harmless. Charming even.

He extended his hand to Seymour. "Hey there, Seymour. It's nice to finally meet you." Seymour meekly accepted his handshake, taken aback by how tight his grip was.

"Hi, I'm Seymour." Michael chuckled lightly. "But you already know that because you just, you know, you said my name. You called me 'Seymour' so y-you obviously know my name." Seymour stuttered and quickly tried to change the subject. "Uh-this is my wife, Audrey."

Audrey stepped towards Michael and shook his hand, her grip was surprisingly more confident than Seymour's. "It's wonderful to meet you, Michael."

Michael looked deep into her eyes and felt a little odd. "Say, Audrey, have we met before?" He never forgot a face.

She looked him up and down, trying to place his face but came back with nothing. "I don't think so? Maybe I just have one of those faces." She laughed slightly and he smiled back, not fully convinced. "If you'd like to follow us through, we have coffee and Seymour made some treats."

"Wow, Seymour. You baked? He's doing your job there, Audrey." Michael quipped with a grin plastered on his face, receiving a playful slap on the arm from Sylvia. Seymour reassuringly placed his hand of Audrey's lower back, knowing how self conscious she was about her abilities as a housewife.

The two couples spent around an hour and a half laughing, sharing stories, getting to know each other better. Much to both Seymour and Audrey's amazement, it was going incredibly well. Sylvia was very chatty and just lit up the room with every anecdote. Michael was equally charming but somewhat quieter, letting Sylvia take the conversational lead. Every so often, Audrey would catch him glancing in her direction but he would sharply look away if she looked back at him. It was bizarre to say the least.

"This has just been so lovely!" Audrey beamed, looking towards Seymour who nodded in agreement.

Michael and Sylvia had only moved into the neighborhood a few weeks before the Krelborns had. While everyone was so picturesque and perfect, Sylvia and Audrey gravitated towards one another, instinctively sensing they had a lot in common.

"Audrey, Seymour, we are just so appreciative!" Sylvia exclaimed.

Michael turned on the charm and chimed in. "The coffee was delicious might I add." He raised his empty mug as a gesture of his delight.

"She makes a great cup of coffee, don't you, sweetie?" Seymour said, encouraging Audrey to give herself some credit. "It's what I look forward to every morning. After waking up to her, of course." Audrey couldn't help but blush.

Sylvia was so bewitched by how compatible the couple before her were. However, Michael still had his suspicions. "She's been working really hard on this." Seymour continued, feeling as though Audrey deserved to show off ever so slightly.

"Well, we're so grateful! Aren't we, Michael?" Sylvia encouraged.

"Oh, most definitely." He wasn't able to completely enjoy the evening. He put up a convincing front but something was off.

Sylvia continued her excessive, but genuine, flattery. "You have both given us such a warm welcome, Audrey."

With that, the mug slipped out of Michael's hand and crashed to the floor, immediately smashing on impact. Those words played in his head on repeat. "Welcome, Audrey." Over and over again. Now he remembered exactly where he'd seen her...


	3. Realizations

"Welcome, Audrey." He whispered under his breath, the pieces of the puzzle were finally coming together. Snapping back to reality, he looked at the shards of glass on the floor before him and sharply regained his composure. "Goodness, I'm so sorry."

"Please, don't worry about it! I'll go grab the dustpan!" Audrey squeaked as she scuttled into the kitchen. Michael watched her intently as she walked away. This was not the girl he remembered.

She swiftly returned, bending down to clean up the mess. Both Michael and Sylvia were full of apologies.

"Oh, it's not a problem. It's just a mug. You wouldn't believe the things that I've accidentally broken since moving in here." Seymour added, trying to ease their embarrassment. His clumsiness was one thing that he was unable to leave back in Skid Row.

"Say, where are you guys originally from?" Michael queried, wanting to confirm what he already knew to be true.

"Skid Row." Seymour admitted with a hint of shame in his voice. He was almost sure a couple like the Cottons had never even heard of that Hell hole.

"Wow, Skid Row?" Sylvia asked, slightly shocked. She'd heard things about that place and just couldn't imagine anyone as seemingly perfect as Seymour and Audrey originating from there.

"I've been." Michael simply stated.

A slightly awkward silence filled the room for a brief moment. "Oh, you have?" Audrey asked, politely trying to make conversation.

"Yes, almost a year and a half ago now." Michael responded with his eyes fixed firmly on Audrey.

"Small world, huh?" Seymour smiled.

"Let me give you a hand with this, Audrey." Michael said as he began scooping up the remaining mugs and plates.

They walked together towards the kitchen, hands full of dishes.

"You and Audrey are such a lovely couple, Seymour." Sylvia told him while they were alone. "How long have you been together?"

"We haven't been together for very long but I've known her, and loved her, for years." Sylvia smiled at his heartwarming response. "How about you and Michael?"

"Four years! Time flies when you're in love." They shared a sweet smile. A smile of two people completely content.

Meanwhile in the kitchen, Michael assisted Audrey in putting the dishes in the sink.

"Thank you so much for that." She smiled at him and began to head back towards Seymour and Sylvia. Before she could get very far, Michael placed his hand on her arm. He softened his grip very quickly when he realised that he'd probably been a little too rough.

"Um, before you do...are you sure we haven't met?"

"I'm sorry, I can't say I recognize you." She thought long and hard. "You didn't happen to visit any florist shops while visiting Skid Row, did you?" She asked, and began to laugh lightly.

He joined in with her laughter. "No, no florists...just a night spot."

Audrey's blood ran cold. Her face drained of color. It felt as though someone had knocked the wind out of her. And that reaction was enough to tell Michael that she was exactly who he thought she was...


	4. The Truth Comes Out

"A-a night spot?" Her voice trembled despite her best efforts.

He was well aware of the sudden change of atmosphere but tried to play it off, still testing her. "Yeah, a really low class place. I think they called it...hm, what was it?" He paused and watched her fret. "'The Gutter', that's it!"

Audrey hadn't heard those words since her tearful confession to Seymour about her past. She was almost sure that once they'd left Skid Row, she could leave all that behind too.

"Oh." Was all she could muster.

"Have you heard of it?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, I haven't. I'm sorry." She began to walk out of the room but was stopped when he stepped in front of her, blocking her exit.

"That's funny. You worked there but you haven't heard of it?" He asked with an expressionless look on his face.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about, I'm sorry." Her tear filled eyes looked deep into his, silently begging him to stop.

"See, I think you do…" He coldly replied.

Before he could continue any further, a voice came from the next room.

"Michael! What's keeping you?" Sylvia called.

Michael smiled at Audrey before swiftly walking past her, rejoining Sylvia and Seymour. Meanwhile, Audrey stood frozen in the kitchen. She felt as though she'd forgotten how to move.

"Sorry, sweetheart!" He said, wrapping his arm around Sylvia's waist. "Seymour, your wife is such wonderful company! I could've talked to her all day in there!" He laughed and shook Seymour's hand once again.

Audrey slowly reappeared in the living room, staring into space.

"We'll let you get back to your evening now but thank you so much. Audrey, Seymour, we had a wonderful time!" Sylvia beamed as she and her husband headed towards the door.

"Yes, wonderful." Michael said while purposely looking at Audrey. "Good night."

On their way out the door, Seymour waved to them. "Good night!"

Seymour turned to Audrey. "What a lovely couple!" Then he noticed her motionless state. "Audrey, what's wrong?"


End file.
